“This is no longer a dream. This is reality.”
On April 6, 2024, noontime variety program ‘It’s Showtime’ broke barriers again after it became a certified Kapuso-Kapamilya program after making its debut on GMA Network.
An iconic image during the special episode was when Vice Ganda ‘sat’ atop the GMA Network logo in a computer-generated set-up that aired as part of her solo act.
She then went on to do spoken word poetry as a way to speak up against her naysayers and bashers, as well as to inspire fellow queer people before singing The Script’s ‘Hall of Fame’.
“Ito ang pinakamalaking plot twist ng dekada. We found a new home sa piling ng ating mga Kapuso,” Vice Ganda said in her speech.
Adding, “Kaya naman sa GMA Network, salamat po sa pagbibigay sa amin ng tsansa na muling maabot ang maraming manood,” before thanking her bosses at ABS-CBN and the executives of GMA.
Vice also celebrated her birthday in conjunction with their GMA premiere, together with the entire cast of the popular show, led by Anne Curtis, Karylle, Amy Perez, Ogie Alcasid, Kim Chiu, Jhong Hilario, Vhong Navarrp, Ryan Bang, Jugs Jugueta, Teddy Corpuz, Darren Espanto, Ion Perez, MC Muah, and Lassy.
Notably, the show also reverted its theme song to the original lyrics “magpasikat na, It’s Showtime!” from the post-ABS-CBN shutdown composition “Kapamilya Forever, It’s Showtime!” in the same episode.
For the special premiere, ‘It’s Showtime’ logged its highest concurrent live online views, which peaked at more than 400,000.
‘Showtime’ began airing as a late-morning talent show of ABS-CBN in October 2009, and originally hosted by Vhong Navarro, Anne Curtis, Jugs Jugueta, Teddy Corpuz, Kuya Kim Atienza, and Vice Ganda as a ‘resident hurado.’
After a more than two-year-run on its original slot and format, it was relaunched as the Kapamilya network’s flagship noontime variety show in February 2012, following the cancelation of ‘Happy, Yipee, Yehey.’
‘Showtime,’ with the influence of teleserye ‘Be Careful With My Heart,’ eventually became the formidable noontime programming ABS-CBN had hoped for in the years after the end of ‘Wowowee’ in 2010, as well as the departure of ‘Eat Bulaga’ for GMA in 1995.
Following the ABS-CBN network’s shutdown in 2020, the show had its reach severely limited and was only seen via Kapamilya Channel and A2Z.
In July 2022, it became part of the line-up of ABS-CBN shows on TV5.
However, when networks ended their blocktime agreement following the move of ‘Eat Bulaga’ to TV5, ABS-CBN sought a partnership with GMA to air the show on the network’s secondary channel GTV.
After the cancelation of TAPE, Inc.-produced noontime show ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya’ in March 2024, ABS-CBN and GMA signed another contract that paved the way to the Kapuso simulcast of ‘It’s Showtime.’
‘It’s Showtime’ continues to air in ABS-CBN and GMA platforms from Monday to Saturday at 12:00 noon.